Charles Max Barsky[5] (born February 19, 1991), best known by his ring nameDavid Starr, is an American bodybuilder and formerprofessional wrestler.
He held championships and won tournaments for companies based in Australia, North America, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.[8][9][10][11] He was known for his charismatic demeanor and witty nicknames, which included "Your Favorite Wrestler's Favorite Wrestler", "The Physical Embodiment of Charisma", "TheJewish Cannon", and, most notably, "The Product".
Following sexual abuse allegations in 2020, Barsky denied the claims but announced he was immediately leaving the wrestling industry.[12] He now works as a bodybuilder, and coach and judge for competitors.
Starr beganamateur wrestling at age seven.[2][13] He continued with wrestling atAbington High School.[2][6] Starr graduated in 2009 and was third all-time with 92 wins, and placed in the top 16 at the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) Nationals between 149 and 157 pounds.[2][3]
Starr started wrestling in 2012, when he debuted inWorld Xtreme Wrestling.[14] His first match was againstSupreme Lee Great in February 2012.[15] On February 2, 2013, he unsuccessfully challenged Tommy Suede for the WXW Ultimate Hybrid Championship.[16]
Starr debuted for Beyond Wrestling in 2013, losing to Latin Dragon in a four-waydark match in 2013 atBeyond Americana. He was eliminated byShane Strickland[17] On November 16 and 17, Starr wrestled at Beyond Tournament For Tomorrow II. He lost toChristina Von Eerie in block B on the first night.[18] He lost to John Silver on the second night in a four-way match which also included Matthew Palmer and Rory Mondo.[19] On August 28, 2016, Starr defeatedEddie Edwards atBeyond Battle Of Who Could Care Less.[20] At Americanrana 2017, he defeatedDonovan Dijak.[21][22]
In April 2019,Israeli Pro Wrestling Association's Passover Bash event, was announced to featureJay Lethal defending theROH World Championship against Starr.[28] In March, Starr released a video on his feelings on the match, whichRing of Honor ordered to have taken down.[29] A couple of weeks prior to the match, Lethal lost the championship atG1 Supercard, and wound up losing in the non-title match. So the match would still take place, but with no title on the line.[30] He later blasted Ring of Honor, saying they lied to the promotion and the fans, by not having the title defended like they said.[7]
On April 14, 2018, Starr participated inBest of the Best 17. Both Starr andTessa Blanchard advanced to the semi-finals after both applied submissions onPeter Avalon. Starr advanced to the finals after he defeated Blanchard andMatt Riddle in a triple-threat match. He went on to the finals and defeatedZachary Wentz to win the Best of the Best 17.[39]
On January 9, 2016, Starr was involved in adark match which was fatal four-way against Leon St. Giovanni,Ken Phoenix, and Foxx Vinyer to qualify for 2016ROH Top Prospect Tournament in which St. Giovanni won.[41]
Starr made his return to ROH on the April 23 episode ofRing of Honor Wrestling attacking 2017Top Prospect Tournament winner Josh Woods.[43][44] OnNight 4 ofROH/NJPW War of the Worlds 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Starr was defeated by Josh Woods. Later that month, Starr would go on to lose again to Woods.[45]
On March 10, 2017, Starr entered the 2017 16 Carat Gold Tournament. He was eliminated in the first round byWalter.[48][49] On July 1, Starr defeatedAngélico to win the Shotgun Championship for a third time.
On March 7, 2020, Starr put his wXw career on the line against Bobby Gunns at 16 Carat Gold Night 2, with the wXw World Championship also on the line. Gunns ultimately retained the title and Starr was forced to leave the company.
In July 2017, Starr defeatedBobby Fish to qualify for What Culture Pro Wrestling's (WCPW) Pro Wrestling World Cup after hitting Fish with aProduct Placement.[53] Starr was eliminated byJay Lethal.[53] Around the same time WCPW turned into Defiant Wrestling, Starr joined the heel stable The Prestige withJoe Hendry andEl Ligero.[54] On January 5, 2019, Starr wrestledPac in Pac's debut match for Defiant Wrestling.[55] At Built to Destroy '19, Starr defeated Rampage to win the Defiant World Championship.
At Super Strong Style 16 forProgress Wrestling, Starr won the SSS16 tournament that took place on May 6, 2019. In a promo leading up to the event, he called out Progress for their reliance on WWE contracted superstars, saying they lost their identity as an independent wrestling company. Due to him winning the tournament he will receive a match for the Progress Wrestling World Championship againstNXT UK's Walter.[57][58] Starr captured theOver the Top Wrestling World Championship from long-time rival and friendJordan Devlin on October 26 in Dublin, Ireland. On June 18, 2020, Over the Top Wrestling announced Starr was stripped of the championship amidst allegations of sexual abuse against him.[59]
Starr was also a vocal supporter for theunionization of professional wrestlers[61] and in 2019, he collaborated withEquity to form We the Independent, an organization made to help raise funds for wrestlers to unionize.[62] In the ensuing months of its founding, Starr's efforts were gaining attention from mainstream media, and allegedlyWWE pressured independent wrestling promotionsProgress Wrestling andWestside Xtreme Wrestling to cease booking Starr over his pro-union stances.[63] However, since his sexual abuse allegations came into light in June 2020, We the Independent severed ties with Starr and has abandoned their social media and website.[citation needed]
In June 2020, multiple former partners of Barsky came forward online alleging sexual, verbal, emotional, and financial abuse spanning years and these revelations kickstarted the global movement “#SpeakingOut movement,” often cited as the professional wrestling analogue to theMeToo movement. He denied all allegations but retired from pro-wrestling after being stripped of former titles and being denounced by multiple promotions and creative collaborators.[59][64][65] Afterward, Barsky stated that he "reclaimed his life through sobriety and spirituality" during the time after the allegations came to fruition. He married Kat Barsky in 2024, and proclaimed himself four-years sober.[66]
^Barsky, Max (April 20, 2024)."Instagram".www.instagram.com. RetrievedMay 8, 2025.In July 2020, I decided to reclaim my life through sobriety and spirituality. In that surrender, I was reborn.
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